KR2008 Alternate Storyline Episode 4
by SaiyaGirl1
Summary: The Knight Before Christmas - Part 2 - Picking up right where last episode's cliffhanger left off!
1. Chapter 1

**Knight Rider 2008 Alternate Storyline – Episode 4 – The Knight Before Christmas – Part 2**

**Chapter 1**

It was the dead of the night, as dark as pitch. She was too far from the highway for anyone to see or hear her. There was no one who could help...

She was dead.

She squeezed her eyes shut. She gritted her teeth. Her whole body tightened, anticipating the gunshot.

A roaring filled her ears. Her heart was beating so hard it felt like it would burst. It only took a second.

Then all hell broke loose.

The roaring became louder, like the snarling of an engine going full throttle. The two men not directly busy with killing her moved away. One shouted. "Hey!"

Why wasn't she dead yet? Why hadn't the man pulled the trigger? What was going on?

"Close your eyes." A voice said in her ear.

"They're already closed." Kat gasped. She scrunched them tighter closed anyway.

Suddenly, there was a blinding light bleeding red between her eyelids. It pulsed rapidly and erratically. It was too quick, too much, it overloaded her senses. She felt sick.

Something heavy fell to the ground next to her and the pressure holding her down was gone. The red light disappeared. Without thinking, she scrambled away, crawling along the ground as quickly as she could.

The world tipped and spun. She was extremely disoriented. Where was she going? She was going to get shot like this. She got to her feet and limped forward, lurching from side to side.

A large shape stopped in front of her. If only everything would stop moving, she could figure out what it was. She reached out. Her fingers found cool, sleek metal. "KITT!" She sobbed in relief.

"Get in." K.I.T.T told her impatiently. "They'll recover in another minute."

Kat fell forward, into the Driver's seat. She pulled her legs in after her. K.I.T.T closed the door and peeled off. His GPS was malfunctioning, so he didn't know where he was going. He drove up onto the highway as he tried to contact F.L.A.G.

There was no response from F.L.A.G. His communications were disabled as well.

He zoomed silently down the highway, weaving through the cars effortlessly. At least his automatic steering was still working. He zoomed in on the large green sign up ahead. They were on the I74. He would follow it as far southwest as he could, and head back to New Mexico.

He checked up on Kat. She had passed out across both of the front seats. The bleeding in her leg had slowed some, but she was staining the seat. "Katherine." He called.

She opened her eyes briefly. "What?" She mumbled as she closed them again.

"Other than the wound on your leg, are you harmed?"

Kat shook her head, then groaned. "Just tired, and dizzy."

"My Dazzler is a bit disorienting, even when you have your eyes closed." K.I.T.T explained.

Kat frowned, keeping her eyes shut. "What's a Dazzler?" She mumbled.

"A dazzler is a type of a directed-energy weapon employing intense visible light, usually generated by a laser." K.I.T.T replied.

Kat smiled weakly. "You stole that right off of Wikipedia." She accused.

K.I.T.T refused to acknowledge that, even though she was right. "It's just one of the Compliance Weapons that are available to me now that Attack Mode has been unlocked."

Kat's chest shook briefly, like she was trying to laugh, only failing. "Compliance Weapon, I'll have to remember that one..." K.I.T.T wondered what she was finding so humorous.

She opened her eyes slowly. "Oh good, not as spinny anymore..." Spinny? Was that a word? He couldn't find it in his dictionary.

She smiled faintly. "You saved my life KITT, thank you. Again."

There was a strange look in her eyes. Pain was there, he could recognize that, but combined with something else. He covered up his confusion by being flippant. "Anytime."

"What happened to you, though? Why did you got nuts like that and shut down? Was it because of those weird weapons they used?"

"Those weapons generated an extremely high electrical charge. It crashed a few of my systems, including my CPU Core. You're lucky I managed to reboot in time."

"I am." Kat agreed. "Was that you making that roaring engine noise? You've never made a noise like that before. You always run silent."

"I keep a few sound files of engine noise, to help me better impersonate a car with a normal engine. I used one to distract the men holding you."

"You sounded pissed." Kat commented.

"Then I chose the right one." K.I.T.T replied. Kat smiled again. She was getting paler. "Kat, you should do something to staunch the blood coming from your wound."

"You're right." Kat said faintly. She struggled and sat up in the passenger's seat, her legs on the Driver's seat. She still seemed to be disoriented. Possibly from the blood loss and trauma. Her heartbeat was fluttery, erratic.

He folded the Driver's seat down halfway. He opened the back compartment, revealing the first aid kit. Kat grabbed some gauze from it and pressed it against her wound firmly. She had a grim look in her eyes.

"That man wearing all black." She began. "He's the leader. The others listen to him. He's the one behind all of this." She paused, her face filled with pain. "I think he's the one that killed Sam." She looked over at the stereo. "He knows your weaknesses KITT. The fire, the electricity. He knew your doors could be opened if you shut down."

K.I.T.T calculated everything she was saying. "How does he know?" He asked.

Kat shook her head. "I don't know." She hesitated for a long second. "Maybe someone is helping him." She said at last.

That didn't make much more sense to him. "How could anyone else know my weaknesses?" K.I.T.T asked.

Kat hesitated again. "Maybe someone from FLAG is helping him." She suggested carefully.

K.I.T.T thought about that for a long time. Nearly a minute. "Anything is possible." He hedged. "But it's hardly probable. The team is so dedicated."

Kat nodded. "I know. I can't think of any of them that would help someone hurt you. If there is a leak, maybe they didn't have a choice, or they didn't realize you would get hurt." Her voice was getting weaker. "It's just something to think about..." She leaned back heavily against the passenger's door.

K.I.T.T was pushing 100mph, but they still had four states to go through. "Kat, if you authorize Pursuit Mode, I can get you back to FLAG in two hours."

"Then go into Pursuit Mode. Why are you asking me?" She asked weakly.

"You're my Driver, you know that." He spoke as he changed. He folded in the back sea, bringing the trunk forward, making himself smaller. The distance between his wheels widened, he drew closer to the road. He accelerated, eating up the pavement. He hit 450mph and pushed harder.

His wheels were getting hot from the friction of the road. His nano-skin could disperse the heat to other parts of his shell, but after an hour of driving, it would be completely worn off. It didn't matter now, he still had his Molecular-Bonded Shell.

Kat had passed out again. His speedometer crept higher. He had to be careful. He had the potential to go much faster than he was capable of withstanding. His shell would survive anything, but he was filled with very sensitive equipment that could and would break down.

His first priority was getting Kat safe. She was weak and hurt, bleeding badly. Plus, the ones that tried to kill her were still out there. The ones that had killed Sam...

His programming told him that it wasn't %100 certain, but it was becoming more and more likely. Especially because that was what Kat believed. K.I.T.T was programmed to trust her absolutely.

His thoughts continued as he drove on in the night. Closer to safety. But was it really safe there?

If someone was helping their enemies, giving them information on his weaknesses. Was he putting Kat in more danger now?

No. F.L.A.G was still the best place for Kat. He would watch her closely just in case. He would make sure she stayed safe. He would not fail again.

He would never lose another Driver again...


	2. Chapter 2

**Knight Rider 2008 Alternate Storyline – Episode 4 – The Knight Before Christmas – Part 2**

Author's Note: Hello again all! I didn't put in an AN last chapter because I knew everyone would want to jump in right away.

Thank you tp everyone again for all of your awesome reviews! I encourage more of you to comment. I know more than four people read this. ^_^ If anyone has any questions about my AU, please ask away. I love answering questions!

Welcome to the second half of my two part Christmas episode. It's rather depressing for a Christmas episode so far, but I promise a little sweetness later on.

Enjoy!

**Chapter 2**

F.L.A.G. Underground Compound

Ian was working at Pierce's computer. Pierce had phoned him from his quarters and told him what to do. In fact, he was still on the phone now. "Okay, finished." Ian told Pierce.

"Quiet." Pierce shushed him. "Don't let anyone know you're talking to me. I'm not allowed to be working."

Ian suppressed a sigh. "Technically, I'm the one that's working." He reminded.

"Hardly." Pierce scoffed. "You would be lost without me."

Ian had to give him that, even if it irritated him a little. Pierce's computer ran on it's own Operating System. One that Pierce had designed himself. It was the same OS he used for K.I.T.T. Charles had designed the A.I, but K.I.T.T ran on Pierce's OS, which was designed to work with Pierce's computer effortlessly.

All this meant that Pierce's computer was completely foreign to him in everything that it did, and how it did it. Ian was quick to learn how to use it, but after only a week, some things were still beyond him.

"What's next?" Ian asked.

"Pull up the nano-sensory program. I've been meaning to strip it down." Pierce told him.

The phone was pulled out of Ian's hand. He looked up as David put his ear to the cellphone. "Stop working." He said into it, and hung up.

Ian held his hand out for the cellphone, but David pocketed it. Ian gave him a fearful look. "You're not mad at me, are you?"

David looked down at him, as if he just noticed him. "No." He said. "You were following orders, which isn't a bad trait." Ian breathed a sigh of relief. David gave him all kinds of the willies. "Back to work."

Ian looked at the monitor in front of him. He sighed and touched the icon for the program's menu. Pierce had wanted to strip down the Nano-Sensory program. Ian knew that it was probably beyond him, but he would take a look at it.

He brought up the program, taking a look. "Yikes." He said aloud, his eyebrows raising. "This thing does need to shed a few gigs."

The whole program was so bloated. It plotted out things like pain, heat and cold sensory, varying degrees of pressure. And all of it was needless.

From what Ian had learned of K.I.T.T's programming, K.I.T.T didn't need all of this. This program was designed to tell K.I.T.T just how everything _should_ feel, when it didn't need to. K.I.T.T's AI could interpret those things on it's own. Not right away of course. But it had the capacity to learn what hurts him and what doesn't.

Ian fell into his work, his fingers blurring over the keys. He didn't bother trimming the old program, he just started up a new one using the basic code from the old one. That was all K.I.T.T needed, just the ability to know when something was touching the nano-skin. He could work out the rest on his own.

It did have the potential to be useful. If K.I.T.T was shut down and something placed on his exterior, when he rebooted, he would know what and where it was. It would be useful as well if someone managed to get around his optical and audio sensors. He could even use it to understand varying terrains better.

It had more potential than what was realized now. Ian was sure of it. He would show this to Pierce, if he was ever allowed to come back from vacation.

Suddenly a red light flashed overhead. All of the technicians stopped their work. Information ran over Pierce's screen. Rei ran over. "What is it?" She asked urgently.

Ian studied the screen. "Uh... something just entered the tunnel." He said.

"Bring up the cameras." Rei told him.

"I don't know how." Ian told her helplessly.

She turned to her brother. "Kai."

The big screen flared to life, showing many different sections of the ten mile long tunnel that lead to the main lab. A black blur roared past each of them one by one.

"Is that KITT?" Carmen asked, looking up at the screen.

"Whatever it is, it's not responding to communications." Kai said.

"Maybe something has happened to his comlink." Rei suggested.

"Do we let it in?" Ian asked. "It's almost at the lift."

Kai rewound the footage on one of the cameras. He paused it just as the black shape came into view. The High Definition feed froze perfectly. "It's him. Let him in."

"Why is he coming in at max speed?" Rei asked, worry furrowing her porcelain brow.

"Something must have happened to Kat." Carmen said. She turned to two of her mechanics. "Get Dustin."

The circle in the middle of the lab lowered into the floor. When it came up again, K.I.T.T was resting on it. Steam was coming off of his tires. "Have Dustin bring a stretcher." He said at once. "Kat is unconscious."

People rushed forward at once. Carmen reached the passenger's door first. She pulled it open and caught Kat as she fell out. She lifted the taller woman up into her arms easily and jogged over to Dustin, who had two attendants pushing the stretcher.

Ian's eyes were glued to Kat. Her face was chalky pale, dried blood ran down her leg from a nasty wound in her thigh. Carmen laid her on the stretcher, but she didn't move. She didn't open her eyes.

Then she was gone, rushed to the Medical Lab. Carmen, Kai and Rei followed. Everyone else went back to work, but shot worried glances at the Med room.

Ian looked over at K.I.T.T. He had left the passenger's door open. The red light on his hood flowed back and forth pensively.

Ian walked over to the car. "Are you okay?" He asked.

"Who are you?" K.I.T.T asked at once, curious.

"My name's Ian. I work for Pierce. I started last week." Ian said.

"Nice to meet you, Ian." K.I.T.T said with distant politeness.

Ian frowned. "Are you okay?" He asked again.

"A few of my systems were damaged by an electrical pulse. I was unable to contact FLAG before hitting the tunnel."

Ian's frown deepened. He looked down the length of the car. He could see where two electrodes had been attached to K.I.T.T, their severed wires dangling. "I didn't mean that." Ian said. He quickly corrected himself. "Of course it's important. But, you're Driver was just carried away in a stretcher. How are you holding up?" Ian knew a only a little bit about K.I.T.T's AI. But he did know that if you hurt the driver, you hurt the AI.

"I am holding up perfectly fine." K.I.T.T answered.

Ian placed his hand on the top of the car. "You're sure?"

"I'm a little worried." K.I.T.T said reluctantly.

"Katherine will be all right." Ian assured him swiftly.

"I know that." K.I.T.T replied. He was starting to sound irritated.

Ian gave up and checked for damage. Enrique and another mechanic came over and did the same. They pried off the electrodes, which were covered with a sticky substance. Ian guess it was probably also highly conductive. They placed the electrodes carefully in a container and put it aside.

Ian checked out the interior. The sight of the blood staining the seats made his head swim. He decided to leave things alone for now. "What systems or functions are giving you errors?" He asked K.I.T.T once he was a safe distance from the car door.

"GPS, Communications, Air Conditioning, EMPulse, and I can't access the rear window, or the rear lights."

Ian's brows pushed together. He went back over to Pierce's desk. "How's your CPU Core?" He asked.

"No errors, but I had to reboot."

"Any information lost?" Ian asked.

"I wouldn't know." K.I.T.T replied.

"Right." Ian said. He tapped at the keyboard. "Charles will have to look at your CPU Core, but I can fix the other errors. We'll reinstall your GPS and Communications programs and I will take a look at the rest." He would have to get inside of the car, not a prospect he was looking forward to right now. He _had_ dreamed of sitting inside of K.I.T.T for the last week, but not with the seats bloodstained.

"I'll wait for Charles." K.I.T.T said.

"No worries. I can do at least this much." Ian assured him.

"I'll still wait." K.I.T.T said.

Ian looked over at the car. There was definitely something there, something in it's synthesized voice. "You don't trust me." Ian guessed.

"We did just meet right now." K.I.T.T replied.

"I work for Pierce." Ian reminded him, walking over again. "Charles too."

"They aren't here to say otherwise." K.I.T.T replied.

"Call them." Ian suggested. "You can patch into Pierce's computer and reinstall your communications and phone yourself. Give him a call."

"I've already done all of that. Pierce's cell phone has been disconnected."

Ian grimaced. "Yeah, that would be David's work. He caught Pierce cheating before." He held his arms out. "So, what can I do to show I am trustworthy?"

K.I.T.T hesitated. "I'm not sure."

Ian placed his hand on K.I.T.T's hood. "Scan me." He said.

K.I.T.T scanned Ian's hand. Information began to pop up on the windshield. "This is you, correct?" K.I.T.T asked.

Ian nodded, looking at the information. "My whole life on paper."

"You finished college at 19?"

Ian nodded. "It was boring, but it was something to do after I graduated from High School. I was 15 then." There was a hint of pride in his voice. "Pierce found me a few weeks ago. I didn't even bother completing my term." He removed his hand from the hood. "It's not enough, is it?"

"My apologies, but no." K.I.T.T said. "Someone has been using my weaknesses to try to hurt Kat. Someone who knows what they are."

Ian glanced back at the Med room. He nodded. "She's definitely something all right. I would be protective too."

"Please." K.I.T.T said derisively. "You're thinking with your hormones. Something that I, mercifully, lack."

Ian smiled. "Hormones are fun." He said. "Maybe I'll make an emulator program for you one day."

"The very thought horrifies me. It would be nothing but a chaos generator."

Ian laughed. "Pretty much."

Charles hurried down the stairs then. "I'm sorry I took so long, I was in the lab in Building B." He said to K.I.T.T.

Ian knew Building B. It housed the Research and Development Lab, where he had spent the last week.

"Is Katherine all right?" He asked anxiously, looking back and forth between Ian and K.I.T.T.

"They're still looking at her." Ian told him.

Charles nodded. "And KITT? How are you?"

K.I.T.T ran down his list of errors, and what had caused them. "I've reinstalled my GPS and Communications programs and they are functioning properly."

"Ian, fetch me a kit." Charles said as he took off his jacket. "K.I.T.T, revert back from Pursuit Mode." He unbuttoned his cuffs and rolled up his sleeves to the elbows. Ian went over to Pierce's desk and grabbed a slim black case. He handed it to Charles.

Charles took the case and headed around to K.I.T.T's rear as the car changed back to it's normal shape. Ian watched in amazement. He knew the science behind it was sound, but it was something different to watch it happen.

When K.I.T.T was done, Charles popped open the trunk. He opened the black case Ian had handed him and pulled out a screwdriver. He unscrewed the panel at the bottom of the trunk and pulled it out.

Ian whistled. The amount of circuitry under the panel was mind boggling. "What can I do?" He asked. He felt excitement welling up inside of him.

"Go into the backseat, check the panel on the left. Right on the other side of where that electrical pulse hit him. There's probably shorts all over the place." Charles said as he began to work.

Ian went and got another kit, then headed back to the car. "You don't mind, do you?" He asked K.I.T.T.

"I guess I have no choice." K.I.T.T replied.

Ian grinned. He patted the car's top and hurried into the backseat. He tried to ignore the bloodstained seat altogether. It was easier with the prospect of work ahead of him. He was _finally_ going to work on K.I.T.T himself. Yeah, he had only found out about K.I.T.T a week ago, but the wait had been excruciating.

He removed the side panel, shining a flashlight into the gadgetry. Charles was right, it was pretty fried. "Everything in here will have to be replaced." Ian said. "No wonder the lights don't work."

"You do circuitry work as well?" K.I.T.T asked. "Pierce just works with my programs."

Ian shrugged. "I do both, I like it. Charles does both." He pointed out.

"Charles is a genius." K.I.T.T said, his voice showing deep respect.

Ian bristled. "So am I." He said. "I graduated High School at 15."

"Charles has over 30 years of experience." K.I.T.T countered.

"I'll get there." Ian said cheerfully. "We'll get along, you'll see." He went back to work.

Outside of K.I.T.T, Carmen walked over to Charles. "How is he?" She asked worriedly.

"A few systems are shorted. Shouldn't be too hard to replace." Charles told her while he worked. For a man over fifty, his long fingers were still deft and nimble. His hands didn't even tremble. "How is Katherine?"

"Still unconscious." Carmen informed him. She pushed her hands into her pockets. "She lost a good bit of blood. Dustin is giving her a transfusion now."

Charles looked up at her in amazement. "You don't mean..."

Carmen nodded. "Yeah, he's using Sam's blood."

"Now that is poetic." Charles said, returning to his work.

"OK, I'll bite." Ian said, getting out of the backseat. "What's poetic about a transfusion?" He had a few burnt out circuit boards in his hands. "By Sam, you guys mean the guy that died?"

"Sam was KITT's old driver." Carmen told him. "His blood type was O."

Ian nodded. "So is mine. Dustin has already scavenged me for spare blood." His smile was grim.

"Dustin collects O blood for emergencies." Carmen said.

"So, the old Driver is retroactively saving the new Driver's life?" Ian guessed. "I guess that _is_ kind of poetic."

"That's not all of it." Charles said. "Samuel was Katherine's older brother."

Ian's eyebrows shot up. "Wow." He said. Charles and Carmen nodded.


	3. Chapter 3

**Knight Rider 2008 Alternate Storyline – Episode 4 – The Knight Before Christmas**

**Chapter 3**

F.L.A.G Underground Compound

Kat was slow to wake up. She knew that she was drifting back to consciousness, but she didn't want to open her eyes. She was unbearably tired. Her body ached, especially her leg. She just wanted to sleep more.

There was a soft knocking noise not too far away. She heard a chair creak and footsteps. Then a door opened. "David said you weren't allowed anywhere near the main lab." That was Dustin's voice.

"Look, I promise you, I'm not working. Can I just see her?" It was Pierce. He sounded pretty anxious.

"Of course. I was just reminding you what David said."

There were more footsteps, coming closer to her, then the sound of a curtain being pulled back. "Katherine?" There was a sound at her side as Pierce sat down next to her.

Reluctantly, she opened her eyes a little. The lights were dim, it must be pretty late. "How long was I out?" She mumbled.

"A few hours." Dustin told her. He was standing by the foot of her hospital-type bed. "You lost some blood and we gave you a transfusion. How are you feeling?"

"Tired." Kat said. And it was so, so true. She was beyond exhausted.

Dustin gave Pierce a stern look. "Five minutes, then she needs her rest."

"Five minutes." Pierce nodded. Dustin left them alone. Pierce watched him leave and turned back to Kat. "Are you in pain?" He asked her.

His expression was so tortured, Kat felt bad for him. "No." She lied. "I'm fine. Dustin gave me some good stuff." The wound in her thigh was starting to burn, but it wasn't anything she couldn't handle.

Pierce's relief was overwhelmingly evident. "When I heard what had happened, I-" He looked embarrassed. "I was worried." He gazed at her face.

"You shouldn't worry about me." Kat told him. "Worry about KITT, someone out there knows his weaknesses, they've been exploiting them."

"They're trying to get to you, Katherine." Pierce's expression was deadly serious. "They nearly did."

Kat waved one hand feebly. "It looks worse than it is."

He gave her an incredulous look. "You were shot."

"It still looks worse than it is. I will recover just fine."

Pierce put his hand over hers, staring at her intently. Alarm bells started going off in her head. "We don't want to lose you, Katherine." He whispered.

Kat pulled her hand out from under his. She searched for something to fiddle with. She settled on the tape on her arm which held her IV needle in place. "I'm not going anywhere." She kept her voice neutral, not looking at him. "I'm going to stick with the Team until the end. Which won't be for quite some time." She glanced at Pierce, gaging his reaction.

He looked like he wanted to say something, but decided against it. He looked down beside the hospital bed, retrieving something from the floor. He lifted up a shopping bag.

"What's that?" Kat asked.

"It's Christmas." Pierce said. He pulled a wrapped present out of the bag and handed it to her. She took it in her hands, sitting up a little. "It's not from me." Pierce said nervously. "I mean, I don't really celebrate Christmas. This is from Sam."

Kat gave him a wondering look. She put a finger under the tape holding a flap down, but hesitated.

"He was my roommate." Pierce explained, speaking quickly and stumbling over his words. "He did his Christmas shopping early, in September I think. He told me that this was for you. I wrapped it for you, if you don't mind."

Kat's vision blurred. Her eyes felt hot. She drew in a shaky breath. Pierce watched her for a long moment. "I'll leave you alone, give you some privacy." He stood and retreated. Kat heard the door close behind him.

Kat's hands trembled as she ripped the paper off of the package. They shook as she opened the box and pulled out the snow globe.

It was made of cheap plastic. A snowman in front of a wooden cottage with a sign that said 'North Pole' next to it. It probably hadn't cost more than five dollars.

Kat cradled it in her hands as if it was the most precious thing in the world. She brought it to her chest. Her shoulders hunched and she bowed her head as she sobbed.

After a long moment of crying, she quieted to a sniffle. She wiped at her eyes, looking down at the snow globe again. "It's like he's still here." She said through her tears. "That's he's not really gone, he's still watching me from somewhere."

"He saved your life." K.I.T.T answered quietly in her ear. "Dustin used his blood to save you. Blood he collected while Sam was still alive."

"He's dead. He's gone." Kat said as fresh tears rolled down her cheeks. "But he's still being my big brother. He's still taking care of me."

"He's protecting you." K.I.T.T told her. "He left me here too. I'll protect you."

Kat wrapped her arms around her torso as her body began to shake. "We have to finish this, KITT. We have to find out what happened. We have to find Sam, wherever he is. We have to find his body. We have to say goodbye."

"We will."

Kat felt her heart aching, like it would tear in half, cut right through the rest of her. She desperately held herself together.

"Pierce likes you." K.I.T.T said suddenly.

Kat blinked in surprise. "Are you trying to distract me?" She asked weakly, unbelieving.

"Yes."

Kat's smile was small and shaky. "KITT-"

"Do you like him?" K.I.T.T interrupted.

Kat's chest shook with something that was almost like laughter. She gripped herself tighter. "You're not really interested in that kind of stuff, are you?"

"Not really, no. Maybe on another day. But I am trying to distract you." K.I.T.T pointed out. "You pulled your hand away from his."

Kat wiped at her wet cheeks. "You saw that? Am I still wearing my contacts?" The word 'Yes' appeared before her eyes in green. "I keep forgetting I'm wearing them. That can't be good. What if I go blind or something?"

"The contacts disintegrate after 48 hours." K.I.T.T told her. "They are only amino acids."

"Well, that's good then. I'll have to make sure I have plenty of spares on long missions, though." Her voice was thin and wavering. Her tears were only just held back.

"What's wrong with Pierce?" K.I.T.T asked.

"There's no deflecting you, is there?"

"I'm not as easily distracted as you are."

"I thought you didn't find this sort of stuff interesting."

"Still not deflected. Well?"

Kat scowled. "There's nothing _wrong_ with Pierce." She said. "But I don't know him that well, do I? I'm not the type to rush into things like that. It took Daniel four months of trying to get me to go on a date with him."

"Wait, I know this one." K.I.T.T paused. "You play 'hard to get', don't you?"

Her chest swelled, a laugh almost fell out of her mouth, weak and small. "Where are you getting this from? Are you downloading teen magazines or something?"

"I got you to laugh."

"Granted. You managed to distract the slow-witted human. Happy?"

"Immensely."

Kat laughed again. "Thanks."

"It's a good thing, that you're not interested in Pierce." K.I.T.T said.

Kat stiffened. "Oh, why is that?"

"I don't have to protect you from Carmen."

Kat blinked in surprise. "Carmen? You're kidding! Those two hate each other."

"If you say so."

Kat shook her head. "No way... Where did you get this from?"

"Observations. You would be surprised how often people forget that I am more than mere background. Especially if I stay quiet."

"Nah, no way. Carmen and Pierce? I don't believe it."

"I didn't say you had to."

"And you. Stop spying on people, that's wrong."

"We'll see."

********

The next morning, Dustin handed Kat a clipboard. "What's this?" She asked.

"Medical leave papers. I am submitting them to David. You shouldn't be on any more missions until you are fully healed." Dustin told her.

Kat's eyebrows shot up as she read the paper. "Two months? I was only-"

"Shot in the leg." Dustin said gravely. "The muscle is torn, the bullet hit the bone, fracturing it. I'll fit you with a brace before you leave. Two months should give you enough time to recover."

"What am I going to do for two months?" Kat asked incredulously.

Dustin placed his hands on the metal railing at the foot of her bed. He leaned closer to her, his expression serious. "Rest." His dark eyes were stern.

Kat signed the paper meekly.

********

"David approved my medical leave." Kat said to K.I.T.T sourly as she made her way to the cafeteria. "I was hoping he would stay true to form and be a hard ass about it. At least cut the time in half. But no, he agrees with Dustin. God, I hate that man. I can't even rely on him to be evil when I need him to."

"I agree with the both of them." K.I.T.T told her.

"Don't you start." Kat said as she pushed the cafeteria doors open and limped inside. Dustin had given her a cane so she could walk around. She felt utterly ridiculous with it, but it did make things easier.

Angela had done a nice job on the cafeteria. There was gold and red tinsel everywhere. A radio was playing Christmas carols. A large plastic tree sat in the corner, lit up merrily.

Angela herself stood facing a table that had been pushed against the wall. It was covered with a black cloth. There were many lit candles in glass holders on it.

Kat walked over to her. Her head was bowed, her shoulders slumped. She was staring down at her hands, which held a small red box. "You okay?" Kat asked gently.

Angela started. She turned to Kat quickly, hiding the box behind her back. "Oh, hey Katherine." She said. She smiled brightly. "What's up?"

Kat glanced at the table. There was a picture on the wall over it. It was of Sam and K.I.T.T. They were in the main lab. Sam was sitting on K.I.T.T's roof, his legs dangling over the windshield. He was grinning like a madman.

She turned back to Angela. "Did Pierce come see you this morning?" She asked quietly.

Angela looked surprised. "What? Oh... yeah. Briefly. Just wanted to say Merry Christmas."

Kat gave her a sympathetic look. "Pierce doesn't celebrate Christmas."

Angela bowed her head again. "Yeah." Kat put a hand on her shoulder. Angela stepped back quickly, raising her head. "Why did he have to get me this?" She asked, showing the red box. "Why did he have to go and do that?"

Kat just watched her as a pleading expression came over her face. "I liked Sam. A lot. I thought that maybe he liked me too, but he never said anything. Nothing. Why did he have to do this?" Her eyes filled with tears. "Why? Why didn't he say something while he was here?" She pressed the heel of her free hand to her cheek, her face crumpling.

Kat put her arms around the other woman's shoulders. Angela leaned her forehead against Kat's collarbone miserably and sniffled. After a moment, she drew away from Kat. "I'm fine. I'll be fine." She said, composing herself.

"I'm here if you want to talk." Kat told her. "I don't mind."

Angela nodded. "Thanks, Katherine."

"Call me Kat."

Angela smiled. "Thanks, Kat."

Kat nodded to the present. "Are you going to open it?"

Angela shook her head. "Not right now. I'm not ready." She looked down at the small red box. "Maybe one day."


	4. Chapter 4

**Knight Rider 2008 Alternate Storyline – Episode 4 – The Knight Before Christmas**

**Chapter 4**

After a late breakfast, Kat limped down the metal staircase into the Main Lab. K.I.T.T had red tinsel dangling from both mirrors. "I see Angela got to you, too." She smiled at the Camaro.

"I tried to stop her. I even threatened to shoot her." K.I.T.T said. "Can you get this stuff off of me?"

Kat thought about it for a moment. "Nah, we need all the Christmas spirit we can get right now."

"Christmas is apparently a gaudy holiday." K.I.T.T commented dryly.

"Just wait until Valentine's Day." Kat said slyly. "Maybe I will have you go hot pink. All day."

"That's just evil."

Kat laughed. She walked over to him and leaned her cane against the Driver's door. She hoisted herself up onto his hood and sat with her back pressed against the windshield. She crossed her legs at her ankles.

"Do you mind?" K.I.T.T asked.

"Not at all, thank you." Kat leaned her head back and sighed. "Two months, what am I going to do with two months of free time?"

"We'll think of something."

"We? What if I go on vacation?"

"So will I. You'll need me to get where you're going."

"So... we're stuck within the U.S?

"I could drive to Canada." He pointed out.

"You're still experimental KITT. You can't leave the country till you're proven, and Knight Industries gets all the patents. What if the Canadians stole you and kept your technology for themselves?"

"Are they a sinister government?"

"Not really, no. They are pretty big on the environment."

"They would love me then, I emit pure oxygen."

Kat's brows shot up. "Really? Oxygen?"

"Affirmative."

"But you still can't tell me what you run on."

"Negative, my apologies."

Kat folded her arms behind her head. She stared up two stories, to the roof of the Main Lab. "Who am I kidding? I'm not going on vacation." She said quietly. "I'm going to find those guys that killed Sam."

"Perhaps we should try to learn more about them before confronting them." K.I.T.T said.

"You have some info?"

A screen appeared on K.I.T.T's hood next to her. "We now have the faces of two more mercenaries. Perhaps there is a way to find out who hired them. Kai and Rei have been working on that." The faces of the five men that had attacked them so far were lined up along his hood.

K.I.T.T highlighted the leader's screen. "The unknown man has had reconstructive surgery to his face. If I can do a more in-depth scan on his bone structure, I could make a composite of what his face used to look like."

"That would be very useful." Kat said. "But we've only ever seen him when he's attacked us."

"I've also been scouring the Internet for forensics information. I have been using what I've learned to study Sam's room again. There are a few points that appear abnormal. The bloodstains in particular." He wiped the faces of their attackers off of his hood and brought up the picture of Sam's room. "The splatter patterns are very inconsistent. Especially if you look here." He zoomed in on a particularly gory part of the room.

Kat held up a hand. "It's abnormal, I got it. Don't go into a long explanation right now. I'm not sure I can handle it." K.I.T.T wiped the room off his hood as well. "You've been doing all this while I was asleep?" Kat asked.

"You were out for over twelve hours." He replied.

"Geez, I feel pretty useless now. It's a shame you're stuck with me. You need a sidekick who doesn't sleep."

"Are you starting that argument again?" K.I.T.T asked.

"It wouldn't be an argument if you would just admit that I'm right."

"But, I'm programmed not to lie to you."

"Then why are we even having this discussion?"

"So, you are finally agreeing with me?"

Kat rolled her eyes. "Carmen." She called to the Head Mechanic.

Carmen paused her work. "_Que?_" She asked, hefting a huge wrench up onto one shoulder. She looked over at Kat.

"Who's the sidekick? Me or KITT?" Kat asked.

"You, hands down." Carmen answered. She returned to her work.

"See?" Kat asked K.I.T.T.

Ian interrupted from Pierce's desk. "Wait, I thought KITT was designed to assist his Driver. Doesn't that make him the sidekick?" He looked confused.

"See?" K.I.T.T asked Kat. His synthesized voice was smug.

Enrique was shaking his head. "Nah, _Tia's_ right." He smiled at Kat charmingly. "No offense, Katherine."

Kat stared at Enrique. Something in her stomach tightened. "None taken." She said, sounding a little dazed.

Kai and Rei soon joined in the debate, saying that K.I.T.T was indeed the one who assisted Kat. Kat wasn't paying attention any more though. "Who is that?" She asked K.I.T.T, keeping her voice a whisper.

"Enrique? He's Carmen's nephew. They joined the project together. Carmen calls him 'Enri'." K.I.T.T answered, puzzled.

"Nephew? He looks the same age as Carmen."

"Actually, he's a year older."

"Hm." Kat's eyebrows raised. "Interesting."

"I suppose." K.I.T.T said dully.

Suddenly, on the wall above them, the big screen flared to life. It was completely black, except for a yellow light that moved back and forth across it. "What's that?" Kat asked.

"I don't know." K.I.T.T answered.

The computer technicians were suddenly working much more urgently at their desks. "KITT, get off the network!" Kai yelled.

"We're being hacked." Rei finished.

K.I.T.T immediately shut down all of his systems that connected to F.L.A.G's network. He also terminated his own Internet connection. "I'm offline." He told them.

Kat could feel dread welling up inside of her. She watched as the other technicians scrambled. "This is bad, isn't it?"

"I can't be sure. But if someone has gotten through Pierce's firewalls and Charles' encryptions, then it's certainly not good." K.I.T.T answered.

Kat looked up as she heard doors opening above her. Charles and David both stepped outside of their offices. David walked purposefully out of the Main Lab. Charles headed down the stairs. "My computer is completely locked up." He announced. "How is it down here?"

Rei smacked her keyboard in agitation. "So is mine." She turned her LCD monitor, showing it to Charles. It was completely black, except for a yellow light moving back and forth across it.

"Mine too." Kai shoved his keyboard away from him in disgust. The other computer techs had similar reactions. "And I have no idea what it is."

"It has to be a virus." Rei said firmly.

"Rei, what virus have we seen that moves like that?"

"Moves like what?" Charles asked Kai.

Kai shook his head. "It's weird. It feels like a hacker, but acts like a virus. It just goes from computer to computer, accessing all of the files, but not damaging anything. Then, when it's done, it locks up the computer and moves on."

Charles looked around the lab. "Is anyone still running?"

"I am." Ian said from Pierce's desk. Everyone turned to him.

There was a look of intense concentration on his face. His eyes darted quickly over the screens as he typed.

Just then, Pierce came running down the metal staircase. Ian rolled his chair away and let him have his computer. Pierce grabbed another chair and fell into work at once.

Kat looked up at the walkway. David looked back down at her briefly, then he turned his attention back to Pierce.

Pierce reached to his side and slid another keyboard out from the desk there. His eyes darted to each of his monitors. His hands flew over both keyboards. Charles walked up and watched over Pierce's shoulder.

One by one, Pierce's monitor's blacked out. The same yellow light ran across each of them. "What the hell are you?" Pierce muttered. His main monitor blacked out. Pierce shoved away from his desk in frustration.

He got to his feet and paced. "It's looking for something." He said. "It's been through our entire database in under a minute. All of our security measures were like nothing to it. It's searching for something, relentlessly."

"If it's been through the entire database, then hasn't it found whatever it's looking for by now?" Rei asked.

"No, not yet." Ian said quietly.

Pierce paused in his pacing. He turned to Ian, following his gaze. "KITT, get back on the network." He said suddenly.

"This virus is after KITT?" Kat asked, alarmed.

"Yes, it has to be, there's nothing else." Pierce walked over to KITT. "He has to connect and access the network now."

"No!" Kat objected. "KITT, stay off of the network."

"He has to connect now." Pierce insisted. "This thing has just been through every file we have here. All of that information, potentially in someone else's hands. We have to stop it. KITT can stop it."

"No! It's too dangerous!" Kat looked around the room wildly, at all of the other computers, their screens blackened. That sickening yellow light was the only thing on them. Her hands tightened on K.I.T.T's hood protectively.

"Katherine, KITT's the only computer here powerful enough to take that thing on." Pierce said urgently. "There's no virus in the world that can beat him, trust me."

"He's not just some 'computer'!" Kat yelled in frustration.

The Main Lab was silent. Everyone watched Kat, sitting on K.I.T.T's hood, facing down Pierce. She was glaring at him. He stared back at her in surprise. Then everyone turned to Charles.

Charles looked up at David.

David surveyed the chaos below him calmly, both hands on the metal railway. "Do it." He said.

Kat's eyes narrowed. She glared at David angrily. He continued to look back at her calmly. She turned away.

Meanwhile, K.I.T.T reconnected to F.L.A.G's network. He encountered the foreign entity at once. It was dark and malicious. It seized it's chance ruthlessly. K.I.T.T could feel it invading his systems, spreading, searching. He fought back, keeping it at bay, protecting his CPU Core. "It's strong." He said. Everyone was watching him intently. "It's trying to break into my CPU Core."

"KITT, disconnect." Kat pleaded. "Now."

"I... can't." K.I.T.T struggled. "It's... bigger... than... I... am."

Pierce's eyes widened. "How is that possible?"

"It's... not... a... virus."

Ian ran over to Pierce's desk. He grabbed a black bag from underneath it. "My laptop's not connected to the network." He said to himself as he unzipped the bag and pulled it out. He switched it on.

He ran back over to K.I.T.T, laptop and USB cable in hand. He pulled on the passenger's door handle. The door didn't open. "Let me in, I can help." He told K.I.T.T. He tugged on the door handle again, but it still wouldn't open. "Come on! I can help you!"

"Let him in." Kat said quietly. She looked down at her hand, which was resting on K.I.T.T's hood next to her.

The door popped open. Ian slid into the passenger's seat. He hooked the USB cable into the back of his laptop, the other end he placed in the USB slot under the dash. "Okay, let's see this monster..." He said as he began typing quickly.

"It's... inside... my... C...P...U...Core."

Kat's eyes were wide. "I can hear it." She said faintly. "I can hear it."

Pierce grabbed her by the shoulders. "What do you mean?"

"I can hear it, just like when KITT talks to me, through the implant." Kat stared blankly ahead.

"The implant is linked directly to his CPU Core." Charles said. "Whatever it is must be taking KITT over." He stared at Kat. "What is it saying?"

"I've found you..." Kat's face was terrified. "Over and over. I've found you. I've found you. Finally, I've found you."

Charles' expression grew horrified. He turned to the big screen, watching that sick yellow light flow back and forth across the black screen. "No, it can't be." He whispered in disbelief.

Kat's whole body stiffened. "Die." She whispered.

"Not while I'm here." Ian muttered. He finished his typing and hit 'ENTER'.

K.I.T.T felt the overwhelming presence lift immediately. He pushed back, purging it from his system. "It's gone." He announced.

There were gasps of relief throughout the main lab. Kai hugged his sister tightly. Pierce's shoulders sagged. He dropped his hands from Kat's shoulders and turned away. "Thank goodness."

"Let's get it off the other computers, KITT." Ian said. He had continued typing.

One by one the screens returned to normal. Technicians returned to their desks immediately, taking stock of the damage.

Kat slid off of K.I.T.T's hood. She walked over to Pierce. He was looking extremely disheveled. Not working hadn't been agreeing with him much. He pushed his glasses up his nose. "I apologize Katherine..." He began.

Kat shook her head. "Don't worry about it. Everything came out fine." She nodded over to Ian, who was still working. "Shouldn't have that been you in there?"

Pierce shook his head. "Oh no. Ian was perfect for this. Much more experienced than I am. And I'm good." Pierce looked a little guilty. He lowered his voice. "Ian's a hacker. One of the best. That's how I found him."

Kat stared at him in alarm. "What? How could you hire him?"

Pierce put up his hand in a placating gesture. "Look, I've come across him a few times over the last year. Recently, I tracked him down, found out he was some kid in a community college in California. I check out his MySpace page and he is a total car fanatic. A freak. So, I went down there and offered him a job,"

Kat was looking at him as if her were demented. "Pierce-"

"Just look at him, Katherine." Pierce gestured behind her. Kat turned.

"Yes!" Ian whooped. He got out of the passenger's seat and thrust one fist in the air. "Take that!" He was grinning crazily.

"All of the computers are back online?" Charles asked.

"Yep. And no damage or files lost. Whatever that thing was, it wasn't trying to steal anything. It just passed over everything, looking for KITT." Ian turned to K.I.T.T. He put one hand on his roof. "You are an amazing machine. Absolutely amazing." He said, his voice filled with something like worship. "I think I'm in love."

"My condolences, Ian. Kat tells me that I am male." K.I.T.T replied.

Ian shrugged. "Whatever." He laughed.

"While you might be homosexual, I am not." K.I.T.T tried again.

"Oh? You have someone in mind then?" Ian challenged. He glanced over at Kat.

"As long as it's not you."

Ian laughed again. "It was still good working with you."

"Likewise."

Kat couldn't help but smile. Pierce laughed softly. "He's just a kid. A genius, but still a kid. All he wants out of life is a challenge. What he needs is a place he can grow." He lowered his voice even more. "Just don't tell him I said any of this."

"I guess..." Kat said. "I'm just going to say this: He better not start kissing my car. Because then, we'll have problems."

Pierce raised an eyebrow. "_Your_ car?"

Kat gave him a look. "Are you saying otherwise?"

Pierce raised his hands. "No ma'am."

Author's Note: Another chapter done! How is everyone liking my characters? Who is your favorite? Other than KITT of course. ^_^ I'm appealing to all of my readers now. I have a request. I want to know what songs you guys think KITT might have in his playlist. My KITT is a big music fan. I have a playlist of my own filled with songs that remind me of KITT. It helps me write. But if there is an awesome KITT song out there I am missing, I want to know about it! So let me know!


	5. Chapter 5

**Knight Rider 2008 Alternate Storyline – Episode 4 – The Knight Before Christmas**

**Chapter 5**

F.L.A.G Underground Compound

David surveyed the scene below, both hands on the metal rail. His face was impassive.

Charles headed up the stairs and joined him. The older man placed his forearms on the metal railing, leaning forward. He watched the people below with an expression of relief.

"What was that?" David asked quietly.

"No idea." Charles said.

"You have a speculation, at least." David said, still watching the Main Lab.

"I must be an old man." Charles said ruefully. "I'm being haunted by the ghosts of the past."

David frowned. "What do you mean?"

"I'll have to retrieve the files from cold storage." Charles said. "I don't believe you know much about KITT's predecessors. I believe you were ten at the time."

David nodded. Documentation was something he understood.

"Things were pretty close." Charles said. "Thank goodness for Ian."

"I suppose." David said dully.

"You were gripping that railing pretty tight for a bit there." Charles commented

David dropped his hands to his sides. He turned to Charles finally, his expression neutral. "Regarding the earlier attacks. Three Thousand is too easily recognized the way it is. Have it refitted before it is sent on any more missions. Katherine should be disguised as well whenever she goes out."

"All right." Charles assented. "Anything else?"

"Have the files on my desk in two hours." He said. He turned and walked back into his office.

********

"Well, look who did a 180." Carmen said triumphantly as she walked into the Cafeteria.

Kat sat at a table with Angela and Rei. She had eaten only a few hours ago, but she was still ravenous. Recuperating was taking a lot out of her. "What do you mean?" She asked Carmen.

Carmen pulled up a chair and sat with the other women. "Going from 'You're just a car...' to 'He's not just some 'computer'!' in under a month?" She made her voice a high falsetto as she mimicked Kat.

Kat turned her attention to her plate. "Yeah, so? It's not a big deal."

"Of course it is." Carmen grinned. "You're becoming one of us."

Kat frowned. "You're all a bunch of fanatics and work-a-holics." She said to her plate.

Angela giggled. "Yep. And now... so are you."

"Here's a question." Carmen leaned back in her chair. "You find out what happened to Sam, you finish that, you settle it. Then, David walks in and tears up your contract. Would you leave?"

Kat stared at her plate silently. She moved the food around with her fork.

"Yeah, would you leave us? Go back to being a pilot?" Angela asked.

"Well?" Rei asked.

Kat still didn't answer.

"What are they saying?" K.I.T.T asked.

"They wanna know if I'm going to leave when we're done with Sam." Kat told him.

"Why are they asking that? Don't they know the answer?"

"Do you?" Kat asked pointedly.

"Of course. You're not going anywhere."

Kat was silent for a moment. The three women watched her. "You don't know that." She said. She speared a baby carrot with her fork and popped it in her mouth.

Angela, Rei and Carmen smiled at each other knowingly.

********

Hours later, the Main Lab was dark. It was lights out and almost everyone was asleep. Pierce was back on vacation, confined to his quarters.

Only one person moved around in the Main Lab: Charles. He was pacing rather randomly.

"You should get some rest." K.I.T.T told him.

"I'm not so old that I don't have a few more sleepless nights left in me." Charles replied.

"You seem agitated." K.I.T.T said. "Your heart rate is accelerated."

Charles sighed heavily. He walked over to K.I.T.T and leaned on the hood. "I'm worried." He said.

"What is there to worry over? Everything turned out fine."

Charles folded his hands in front of him. He stared down at them. "The future." He said at last. "And the past."

"You words are very enigmatic." K.I.T.T replied. "Do you know what is going to happen?"

Charles shook his head. "That's what has me worried. I do not know what lies in the darkness of the future. I only have my fears of the past. So many loose threads, they can strangle a man."

"I'm going to guess that you don't mean in the literal sense, since you appear fine to me."

Charles grimaced. "Earlier, you said that the thing that attacked you wasn't a virus. You said it was bigger than you. Not stronger, but bigger. Can you explain that in more detail?"

"It spoke to me. Like another AI. But I've never met another AI, so I can't say if that was what it was with certainty. I am the stronger one, I think. But that presence knew much more than I did, it tried to crush me with what it knew. It's older than I am, and has grown far more than I have." K.I.T.T paused. "Do you know what it was?"

"I have a guess. But it could just be an old man's fears. I might be seeing shadows where there are none." Charles bowed his head for a moment. "Enough rambling on my part. How goes your learning?"

"I've finished learning Chinese, bringing my total of known languages to twelve. I am working on Russian next."

"I'm impressed. You know more languages than I do now."

"I have more free time."

Charles smiled. "How have you been adjusting to Katherine?"

"She still confuses me a great deal." K.I.T.T answered. "We get along better at least. She's very interesting to talk to, even if she has some things reversed. Perhaps the logic portion of her brain is bugged."

Charles glanced through K.I.T.T's windshield. Kat was curled up asleep in the backseat. The book he had given her was lying on the floor. "She's grown protective of you." He commented.

"That's one of the points that defies logic. I'm supposed to protect her. I'm the one with the Molecular-Bonded Shell and the small-range missile array."

Charles chuckled. "Strength isn't just measured in physical power. There is also strength of spirit. And Katherine's is quite fierce."

"You mean how she believes that she is stronger than she is? That's just foolishness."

"You'll understand one day." Charles said.

"The day that Kat's actions make sense to me is the day I will know madness." K.I.T.T predicted. "She keeps insisting that she is the sidekick."

Charles shook his head. "She's wrong."

"I know that."

"So are you."

"What do you mean?" K.I.T.T asked. "How can we both be wrong?"

"The very basics of your argument are flawed." Charles said simply. "Who's the sidekick, who assists who, who is the strong one. All flawed. Your thinking was wrong exactly when the both of you assumed that one of you was more than the other."

K.I.T.T was silent. Charles went on. "Try this idea out. Instead of thinking that one is lesser and one is more. Think equally. There are many things that you can do that Katherine cannot. But there are also many things that you cannot do, but Katherine can. You give each other balance."

"You're saying that we are a set." K.I.T.T said.

Charles nodded. "That's an adequate analogy. Separate, you each have your weaknesses. Together, you can be unstoppable. As long as you both work with each other as equals."

"You've given me a lot to process." K.I.T.T said.

Charles patted his hood. "My work here is done." He smiled and got to his feet. "I think I shall retire after all."

"Good night." K.I.T.T said as Charles headed up the stairs.

********

Kat opened her eyes and groaned. She stretched out across the backseat. Her leg responded to the motion by sending fire up her thigh. She winced. "What time is it?"

"5 am exactly." K.I.T.T answered.

"Oh dammit, I'm still waking up too early." Kat muttered. "No one around here gets up before six."

"I could tranquilize you." K.I.T.T offered. "My darts would knock you unconscious for about an hour."

"Someone woke up on the wrong side of the moving circle." Kat muttered. "Hey, can you play my favorite Christmas song?" She asked. "Christmas passed and I didn't get a chance to hear it."

"Certainly, if you give me the name."

"'Carol of the Bells' by the Trans-Siberian Orchestra. And put the volume up." Kat laid on her back and closed her eyes.

The first strains filtered through the interior. The speakers in the back catching the bells perfectly. Kat drummed her fingers on her stomach as the music picked up.

She had always loved this song. It was rich and powerful, but still had that slight Christmasy feel to it, only much more intense. Listening to it inside of K.I.T.T, with his surround-sound speakers, immersed her fully into the music. She could even feel the notes vibrating in her chest.

When the last notes died, she opened her eyes. "KITT, sometimes, you are so cool."

"I know." K.I.T.T responded. He decided to keep the song in Kat's playlist. The playlist wasn't a list of music Kat liked, but music that he felt was similar to Kat herself. He had about a dozen different playlists for various people he knew. He liked being organized.

Kat sat up and moved to the front seat. "I finished the book Charles gave me on Attack Mode. We can start running simulations after breakfast."

"Sounds like a plan. By the way, since Christmas is over now, can you remove the tinsel and the mistletoe and holly? I don't know if I like looking so 'festive'."

Kat laughed. She reached up and began untying the bundle of mistletoe and holly. "So, did it bring you luck?"

"If by luck, you mean Carmen kissing my hood when she spotted it, then yes."

Kat snickered. "There are worse things than getting a kiss from a cute girl on Christmas." She said.

"If you say so."

"Here, one from me." She kissed two fingers and pressed them to his steering wheel. "Now you're popular." She laughed as she opened the door and climbed out. She de-tinseled him and then headed upstairs for breakfast.

Author's Note: My first two parter is done! Thank you everyone for all of your comments. I feel really excited about the upcoming storyline. A few of you have already guessed what is ahead. Thank you again for reading! Tune in for Episode 5 – Countdown!


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